The City of Boston has been granted 22 free dual electric vehicle charging stations today by the Green Communities Division of the state’s Department of Energy Resources. The grant includes $1,000 per station for installation. The official announcement of grant recipients was made at the Town of Lexington Battle Green by Lieutenant Governor Murray.

Through the EVboston initiative, the City of Boston is preparing for the growth of the electric vehicle market in the region, and as a newly designated “Green Community” the City of Boston was able to apply for these funds and be given priority consideration on the state’s list of potential applicants. With the help of these partners the City will gain experience with the installation and demonstrate its commitment to clean energy and alternative transportation solutions.

The stations will be awarded to local Boston business partners and placed in publicly available spaces.

Partners include Seaport Square through Boston Global Investors, the Prudential Center Garage, Pro-Parking Management with locations at 75 State Street Boston, 99 High Street Boston and Zero Post Office Square, MASCO medical area at 375 Longwood Avenue, City Center Parking at 265 Franklin Street, and Dinosaur Capital Partners at One Merrimac Street/150 Friend Street, the City of Boston will also locate two stations at its central fleet public lot. Stations will accommodate roughly 30 parking spots throughout the city.

Mayor Menino said, “As part of our Complete Streets mission and our commitment to sustainability, Boston seeks to reduce it greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. Planning and partnership solutions such as these help to mitigate climate change effects and benefit everyone. It will take incremental steps to increase Boston’s resilience- we want to give Bostonians the ability to choose more ways of getting around, and make it more likely those who have or buy cars will choose an electric vehicle.”

The Boston Transportation Department will appoint a EVboston Consortium in the coming weeks of stakeholders representing businesses, utilities, universities, residents, research facilities, and regional entities who will inform a citywide EVSE adoption process and collaboratively inform conditions for an electric vehicle network. The Consortium will also:

Inform the development of educational & outreach program to raise awareness of electric vehicles and amplify consumer demand to residents; to include neighborhood workshops

Communicate issues and concerns to inform the creation of an RFI/RFP for a possible citywide roll-out

Select and install EVSE charging stations in the Innovation District and a residential neighborhood by summer 2012

Transportation contributes roughly a third of CO2 emissions and is the biggest single source after buildings.

Electric vehicles do not have any tailpipe emissions (such as NOx or particulates-both of which contribute to respiratory illness) and emit practically no engine heat reducing the high temperature in congested corridors.

Electricity prices have risen more slowly and are traditionally more stable than oil prices, so consumers with electric vehicles are less impacted by power price fluctuations.

The range of an electric vehicle far exceeds the average American’s daily miles traveled and they have an emergency mode to warn the driver of low power, providing enough power to get off the road.

By the most optimistic estimates, electric vehicles will represent 0.6 percent of total energy consumption by 2015. If 70 percent of all electric vehicles plugged in at the same time during the peak period, it would increase demand by less than two percent.